Repairs to Timber Cribway and Construction of Breakwater

Brett Evans

Abstract

The town of Belleoram, NL is comprised of approximately 450 residents located on the Connaigre Peninsula within Fortune Bay. Being a fishing town, the harbour has always been a typically sheltered area, protected from the wind and the waves that are known to the southern coast of the island. Throughout recent years, with the impact of hurricanes and tropical storms being felt on the province as a whole, the town has experienced higher waves than usual that have been providing quite a problem to certain parts of the town. One of which being an area of timber spillway that is located on the Northeast side of the town. This spillway has served as adequate protection to the finger of beach comprised of wharves and slipways used to safely house the fishing boats within the town until recent storms.
With these higher waves becoming more common in the area, flooding of the area has been happening more often due to the spillway not being capable of handling such weather. Roadways on the beach have been washed away and debris such as large rocks and stones have been deposited on the wharves causing numerous problems and damages for the fishermen of the town. In order to combat such waves, in 2010, council had approved the construction of a breakwater to line the full length of the beach to help break up oncoming waves and prevent them from rolling onto the land and causing more damage. The breakwater was comprised of having rock core fill, filter stone and armour stone along the seaward side of the harbour.
Along with the timber cribway repair and breakwater construction, the Government of Newfoundland & Labrador had also approved funding of a new large wharf in the town which will be used to provide more mooring room and protection for local fishing boats and the larger aquacutlture boats which are now present within the community.
The following paper will highlight the advantages that have occurred since construction the break water and the wharf, and its effects that it has had on the community of fishermen as a whole.